Chocolate Conviction
by lightningpelt
Summary: Gaara has never payed much attention to Valentine's Day... but now he's drowning in chocolate, and a sentiment he doesn't quite understand. Can his student help teach him a thing or two? GAAMATSU Fluffy Oneshot


**VERY minor spoilers though chap 247 (the start of Shippuden, basically)! **

**(A/N) Okay, so I wrote this way back for Valentine's Day… figured it was about time to post it. ^^; **

**I LOVE this pairing! (GaaMatsu) If you don't, please go away. I don't want to hear any hate. **

**With that said… on with the story! **

**I do not own Naruto, or any characters that appear in this story. … Sadly. **

Gaara's eyes wandered over his office, sweeping across every available surface,

_21, 22… there's 23 and 24… 25, 26… _

His mental tally of boxes and bags climbed steady, as did his mounting headache.

_Why me…? _

... ... ... _  
_

"Kankuro!"

The puppet master jumped as the door to his office opened, and he hurriedly shoved his magazine aside and snatched up the scroll he was supposed to be reading. His brother stood in the doorway, looking none-too-happy.

"G-Gaara…? What is it?"

Gaara stalked up to his brother's desk, producing a bad from behind his back and abruptly dumping its contents out in front of the surprised puppet master.

"Where did all this come from?" the Kazekage asked, as viciously as though it was all his brother's fault.

Kankuro blinked, picking up a rather large box. After a brief examination, he looked back up brother.

"From… fangirls?"

Gaara huffed. "For what purpose?"

Kankuro laughed despite himself. "Gaara… this is chocolate."

"I know that," Gaara said crossly, "but why the hell did it all show up in my office?"

This only made Kankuro laugh harder. "It's Valentine's Day!" he exclaimed. "You really did cut yourself off from the world, didn't you?"

Gaara narrowed his eyes. "Valentine's Day? What does _that _have to do with anything?"

Struggling for breath, Kankuro stood and laid a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Valentine's Day…" he explained between giggles, "is a day when girls give guys chocolates to express their… affection."

"Affection?" Gaara repeated, bewildered, his invisible eyebrows drawing together.

Kankuro nodded. "Their… _romantic interest_; their… _love_."

"So… chocolate… is a representation… of _love_?" Gaara asked disbelievingly, his eyes wide.

Kankuro was having a difficult time breathing.

"_Love_?" Gaara repeated again. "This is how people… express love?"

"One type… of love…" Kankuro said, trying to get his breath back. "All these… girls… want to have a… relationship with you. It's up to you what to do with that. Look at this!" He motioned to the chocolate, ruffling his brother's hair with his other hand. "My brother's quite the lady's man! I must admit I'm a bit jealous… more than a bit. I've gotten three boxes so far… but I can't say I'm surprised."

"The final count was 43," Gaara mumbled, slightly in shock.

Kankuro let out a low whistle, and was about to reply when his door opened again.

"K-Kazekage-sama!" called Gaara's assistant. "They're piling up again…!"

A playful grin split Kankuro's face. "And you say nobody loves you," he said, patting his little brother on the head.

Gaara sighed, shaking Kankuro's hand off. "I'd better go grab then before my office gets overtaken…"

Kankuro made a motion to collect the chocolates on his desk, but Gaara waved his hand.

"Keep those," he said. "If you want more, just come and get them."

Kankuro's eyebrows arched. "You, giving sweets away? Are you sure?"

Gaara turned, his eyes narrowed in annoyance or fatigue; probably both. "Kankuro… I could eat nothing but chocolate for a month, and still have more. And its only nine o'clock in the morning. _Keep the chocolate_."

... ... ...

Gaara _did _munch on chocolate almost constantly throughout the day; they came in all imaginable brands and flavors, some even expensive imports, though none were handmade. Some came in fancy silk bags, others in pretty boxes. Most came with a note, which were all tossed into a pile to be replied to at some point, and a few came anonymously. All the while more and more showed up, and piled up, all around the Kazekage's office. By the end of the day, poor Gaara was drowning in proverbial love… and not so proverbial chocolate.

At five o'clock the Kazekage escaped his crowed office, still licking at his lips, and gave a sigh of relief. It soon became obvious, though, that the assault was not over, as girls began accosting him on the street with gifts and questions about whether or not he had gotten their chocolates. Though he tried to be as polite as possible, his annoyance and headache only grew.

Finally he found refuge in the training hollow, at last able to enjoy a moment of silence. Taking a few deep breaths, he leaned back and closed his eyes, relishing the peace of solitude. He listened to the wind in the sands, the rustle of little creatures in the scarce shrubbery and the fain whisper of water from the stream a few yards away.

"Gaara-sensei?"

Gaara's eyes snapped open; his first reaction was annoyance, but that quickly quelled when he saw who the intruder on his privacy was.

"Ah, Matsuri," he said, blinking and stretching. "What brings you here?"

Matsuri shifted. "Well, I… uh… wanted to train!" she finally said.

Gaara cocked his head. "Oh. Good. I'll watch for a while."

Matsuri nodded shortly, a light blush on her cheeks. She drew her johyo and began to practice. Gaara watched for a long moment, noting the improvement in her skill and form.

"So how's your Valentine's Day going?" Matsuri asked suddenly, and Gaara snorted.

"Curse the day," he grumbled, and Matsuri looked at him curiously. When he didn't elaborate, she turned back to her training.

"According to Kankuro," Gaara said after a long pause, "chocolate is a sign of love. Is that right?"

Matsuri once again turned to him, pausing in her exercises. "Well… I suppose so."

"It doesn't seem… all that significant," Gaara confided, feeling that he could speak his mind to his student, if no one else. "I mean… to be significant, something has to stand out, right? And this… tradition… it seems…" he paused, voicing his thoughts even as they formed, "overdone."

"How so?" Matsuri asked after a heartbeat.

"I've been getting packages since dawn!" Gaara said, exasperated. "Fates, I have more chocolate then I know what to do with!"

"Little surprise," Matsuri said, an odd tone coloring her voice; she wrapped up her johyo.

Gaara rolled his eyes, frustration making him relatively emotional. "Kankuro said something similar. I didn't even know what Valentine's Day _was_ yesterday, but I'll be sure to take the cursed day off next year!"

Matsuri nodded, coming up beside him. "So… you don't like chocolate?"

Gaara shook his head. "Chocolate is great. It's just… when it's given so… almost thoughtlessly… it loses its meaning, you know? And love…" he trailed off. Matsuri waited patiently for the completion of the thought, though it didn't come for several moments. "Love… is the most meaningful thing in the world."

Matsuri blinked slowly, and dared to lay a hand on his shoulder. "You're certainly right," she said, that odd tone seeping into her tone once more. "Nothing is more meaningful."

... ... ...

The next day Gaara spent a good hour clearing out his office, giving practically a mountain of chocolate to his two siblings and still keeping an ample supply for himself. Satisfied that not a package remained and another would not arrive until next year- he was already dreading it –he returned to his office to get some work done. He stopped short, however, in his doorway.

On his desk sat a single, solitary, foil-wrapped package.

Narrowing his eyes in confusion, he picked up the parcel and took hold of the note. Blkinging in disbelief, he read the words in messy scrawl.

_Gaara-sensei- _

_You said that chocolate, when given without thought or meaning, is insignificant, and doesn't live up to what it is supposed to represent. I came to the training hollow yesterday to give this to you, but thought better of it after we talked. Then I realized that this chocolate isn't given thoughtlessly, so… I don't know. Maybe this will stand out to you. It's the only way I know how to say it. _

_Happy V-Day, _

_Matsuri _

Gaara sat down heavily on the floor and fumbled with the parcel in his hands. Pulling out a piece, he recognized instantly from its irregular shape and texture that it was homemade. Other pieces, as he looked at them, appeared to be little, sweet hearts. Standing abruptly, he left the bag and note on his desk, dashing out the door.

"Brother, your coffee is-" Kankuro tried, but was ignored by a very hurried Kazekage, who rushed by so quickly that he hit the tray his brother was holding and sent it tipping backwards, inadvertently spilling coffee all over Kankuro. He was gone before he so much as noticed.

Skidding out into the street, he looked around frantically before darting toward where he knew he would find her. Sliding to a stop in the sand of the training hollow, he was relieved to see her perched on one of the wooden practice posts, her back to him and her face angled toward the sky.

"Matsuri!"

She turned, slowly, her eyes widening in surprise as he came, more slowly now, towards her. Hopping down from her seat, she cocked her head uncertainly.

"Gaara-sensei?"

Gaara, panting slightly from his rush, looked at her long and hard, memorizing every bit of her face; her luminous eyes; her delicate mouth.

"Matsuri…" he breathed again, his voice tender. "Your… chocolates… thank you."

Matsuri blushed and looked away. "You… liked them? They weren't too…"

"Not at all," Gaara assured her. "They were… special."

Matsuri's blush grew deeper, and she smiled.

"But… in your note…" Gaara said haltingly, suddenly stumbling over the words, "you said… 'it's the only way I know how to say it.' What… is _it_, Matsuri?"

Matsuri squeezed her eyes shut. "Gaara-sensei… I… I love you!" she finally blurted, her face red from the awkwardness. "I love you," she repeated softly, her uncertainty and anxiety showing though. "Gaara-sensei, it's… I've thought and thought about it, and I know this is real…! You've been hurt, badly… and I… you might see me as just potential for more pain but… I'll never hurt you…! This is… a real love and… if you feel the same… well… and even if you don't I'll always stay by you, I swear it!" Tears leaked from her eyes, and her whole body shivered.

Gaara remained silent for a long moment, stunned. Then, he reached out tentatively and too her head in his hand. Starting at his touch, Matsuri opened her eyes slowly as he turned her face towards him. His eyes were like pale blue fire, flickering with wavering emotions, each one evanescent but intense in its own right.

"Matsuri…" He spoke her name with hesitant relish, formulating his words carefully, "I'm not sure… I know for certain what 'love' means. But…" He tore his eyes from her face, looking up instead at the clear blue sky. "You're so very special to me… and for you… I'm willing to try."

She reached up, taking a gentle hold of his wrist and drawing his gaze back to her.

"You don't know what love means…" she used softly. "Do you mind… if I try to teach you?"

Gaara smirked slightly. "Not at all."

Taking a deep breath, Matsuri stretched up, keeping a hold of his hand and touching her lips tenderly to his. Gaara's black ringed eyes widened with surprise, and then slid slowly shut as everything but her sweet kiss and thrumming heartbeat faded away. Such a powerful emotion swept him up, so wild and untamed, yet so beautiful and serine, that he couldn't hold a coherent thought in his mind; there was no room for anything but that sublime feeling.

When she drew back, breaking the kiss and gasping for breath, his eyes opened with what seemed like new sight. When he gazed down at her that feeling roared to sweet life in his heart and he knew it would never lay dormant again. It was reminiscent of what he felt for his siblings, but so much more vivid, like the richest red compared to a rosy pink.

"Matsuri…" he whispered, "I think… I know."

Matsuri's eyes shown like newborn stars. "Know what?"

Gaara smiled, the happiness that often accompanies love breaking though.

"I love you. If there's one thing I know for certain… it's that I love you."

**(A/N) Gack! It's so mushy…! *dies* Ah well… that's what Valentine's Day is for, right? I love this pairing…! *squeal* It doesn't deserve all the hate… **

**Did you like? Please tell me! Cookies for reviews! Thanks for reading! **


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